Thursday, September 9, 2010

Halushki with Fresh Flax Noodles

Ah, halushki (or haluski). This is a dish my grandma used to make, being of western Pennsylvania steel town stock. It is a cheap dish that is filling and delivers some great flavour. I added more ingredients than my grandma used to, but it still brought back all sorts of memories. I'll admit that I weenied out and made the noodles with my pasta maker. She used to roll them out by hand. Speaking of noodles, these are a great vegan version of egg noodles--tender, yet durable.Fresh Flax NoodlesMakes 1 lbINGREDIENTS- 2 cups all purpose flour- 1/2 cup warm soy creamer or soy milk- 2 tbsp finely ground flax- large pinch of tumeric (optional)- 1 1/2 tsp salt (I used black salt for an eggy flavour)- 2 tbsp water (more as needed)

METHOD1. Place flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre.2. Whisk flax into the soy creamer in a separate bowl. Let sit a few mins, then whisk again until thick and goopy. Whisk in tumeric (for colour).3. Put flax mixture into the well, and sprinkle salt over top. Begin to mix together, adding water as needed to make a stiff but pliable dough.4. Cut into four equal pieces and pass through a pasta roller up to number 7. Cut into 1/4 inch (or a bit bigger strips) and let dry on a towel for at least 2 hours.5. When pasta is dry, cut into 4-5 inch lengths.6. To cook, drop into boiling water, stirring to keep it from sticking together. You only need to cook for about 30 seconds after the water comes back to boiling.

METHOD1. Melt 2 tbsp margarine in a large saucepan over medium to med-hi heat. Saute leeks and onions for 5-7 mins, until soft and translucent. Add garlic, carrot, cabbage, and a few pinches of salt and mix well. Once sizzling, reduce heat to med-lo, cover, and cook for 10-15 mins, stirring regularly. You want the cabbage to be nice and tender, but not soggy. Add paprika and parsley, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from pan.2. Add another 2 tbsp of margarine to the pan over medium to med-hi heat. Add egg noodles and gently stir to coat. Fry for a few mins, then add cabbage mixture. Stir to mix, adjust seasoning and serve.